Urban population growth in Eswatini
Eswatini: Urban population growth was 2.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in Eswatini, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in Eswatini stood at 2.8%.
The figure is up 5.8% on the previous year and up 77.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Eswatini peaked at 12.9% in 1961 and was at its lowest, -0.0%, in 1995.
That places Eswatini 50th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 12.9% | — |
| 1962 | 12.4% | -3.4% |
| 1963 | 12.0% | -3.4% |
| 1964 | 11.6% | -3.2% |
| 1965 | 11.3% | -2.7% |
| 1966 | 11.0% | -2.7% |
| 1967 | 10.9% | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 11.1% | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 11.1% | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 11.0% | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 10.7% | -2.5% |
| 1972 | 10.3% | -3.4% |
| 1973 | 9.9% | -4.2% |
| 1974 | 9.4% | -4.6% |
| 1975 | 9.0% | -5.2% |
| 1976 | 8.5% | -5.6% |
| 1977 | 8.5% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 8.9% | +4.3% |
| 1979 | 8.9% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 8.7% | -2.3% |
| 1981 | 8.3% | -4.5% |
| 1982 | 7.7% | -6.6% |
| 1983 | 7.0% | -9.3% |
| 1984 | 6.2% | -11.7% |
| 1985 | 5.7% | -8.2% |
| 1986 | 4.9% | -13.3% |
| 1987 | 4.2% | -15.9% |
| 1988 | 4.8% | +16.1% |
| 1989 | 4.8% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 4.2% | -12.7% |
| 1991 | 4.2% | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 3.9% | -5.6% |
| 1993 | 3.0% | -23.2% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | -97.7% |
| 1995 | -0.0% | -133.3% |
| 1996 | 2.0% | -8763.2% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | -16.1% |
| 1998 | 1.1% | -32.5% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -34.5% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | -27.2% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | -36.4% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -49.8% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | -59.5% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | -26.8% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | +108.0% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | +116.8% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | +128.1% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | +52.6% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | +15.9% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +10.1% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | +10.4% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | +9.9% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | +9.9% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | +8.8% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | +7.4% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | +13.0% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | +7.3% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | +12.5% |
| 2021 | 2.6% | +7.5% |
| 2022 | 2.5% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 2.6% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 2.7% | +5.5% |
| 2025 | 2.8% | +5.8% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 2.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.7%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 2.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.4%, 85% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban population growth in Eswatini changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +8763.2% | -0.0% | 2.0% |
| 1995 | -133.3% | 0.1% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | +128.1% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| 2006 | +116.8% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2005 | +108.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 1994 | -97.7% | 3.0% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.6% | 10.9% | 12.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 9.5% | 8.5% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.2% | 4.2% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | -0.0% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.0% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More climate change data for Eswatini
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 10.39 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,459 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 469.92 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 988.9 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 35.32 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 77.58 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 66.81 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 10.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.2521 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Eswatini?
- Urban population growth in Eswatini was 2.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 12.9% in 1961.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.0% in 1995.
- How does Eswatini rank for urban population growth?
- Eswatini ranks 50th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is up 77.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.